Breyer Horse: A Collector's Item

Some of the best collectible toys are the Breyer horse which is made by Breyer Animal Creations. The Breyer Molding Company began in the 1950s and started to produce plastic molded horses to adorn mantle clocks and lamps. When they discovered that youngsters began to take the horse model off the functional pieces to play with them, it opened a new avenue for the plastic company.

Those Breyer horses were made of hard and long lasting plastic and were able to hold up to very hard playing and became a big hit because they lasted and were very affordable. As demand for more colors and more distinct breeds of horses grew, Breyer artists had to make better figures and this led to more collectible models.

The Breyer horse is solid and has a small breathing hole that is usually found in one or both nostrils and almost every model has the Breyer Molding Company's logo on the inside of one of the hind legs. Of late, a new sphere in collecting horses has emerged and the Breyer horse is being customized and their appearance changing by adding real hair to the tail and mane.

Variety of Sizes

For the lover and collector of the Breyer horse, there is a main event in the form of the BreyerFest that takes place in the summer and is usually located in the heart of horse country, Kentucky. This weeklong event promotes Breyer horses, clubs, shows and live horses. The Breyer horse comes in four different sizes which are the largest one called the Traditional, followed by the Classic and then the Paddock Pals and finally, the Stablemates, which is the smallest. The most popular size of the Breyer horse is the Traditional and so there are many different models available that fits every taste and most models can be tailored to one specific breed.

In addition, the Breyer horse model comes in different colors and the Breyer artist can make on an average, three to five brand new models every year and the Traditional model retails at around $25-$30 at toy stores and so requires a fair bit of monetary outlay on the part of an avid hobbyist. Besides the cost, the hobbyist will also need to carefully choose which model is best for them as the Breyer horse model also comes in limited quantities of special run horses for various events, and these may be limited to about a 1000-1500, which is quite a small number, when considering the fact that the Breyer horse is sold worldwide.